Heart Healthy Options for National Frozen Food Day

You don’t really hear anyone say, “I had a great frozen meal the other day.” And probably for a good reason. Frozen foods are usually thought of as an unhealthy meal alternative. But, God forbid, we let anyone think that we DON’T have copious amounts of time on our hands to prepare a healthy, homemade meal every day with fresh ingredients. The reality is that it’s hard to have a balanced diet while actually having a life full of busy schedules and responsibilities.

On this day in 1984, it wasn’t a company, but President Ronald Reagan who made March 6th National Frozen Food Day. He proclaimed, “I call upon the American people to observe such a day with appropriate ceremonies and activities,” so while you might not be sure what National Frozen Food Day should entail, we do (and no, eating ice cream is not the only “appropriate activity”).

While President Reagan loved frozen foods, thankfully much healthier options have arisen since 1984. That being said, there are still many sodium-packed, nutrient-lacking foods down the frozen aisle to look out for. But, nowadays with the draw towards healthier foods, the frozen food industry has caught up and given us some better options. Here are some of our picks of tasty, low sodium, frozen options to enjoy on this momentous day.

Healthier Frozen Food Options:

We’ll start off with what I believe is one of the most important types of food…pizza. You can almost never go wrong tomato sauce slathered on some dough with cheese on top…who knows why it takes so good but I’m just thankful it exists. So why not try a healthy-ish pizza today? Amy’s Entrees offers a low sodium spinach pizza. They also offer a gluten free spinach pizza made on a rice crust. It may sound like an interesting combo but I’m sure that any avid pizza eater knows what’s up. Lean Cuisine also has their own type of thin crust pizzas: BBQ chicken and margherita…yum.

While we are on the topic of Italian-ish dishes Amy’s Entrees also offers another Italian love of mine, lasagna. I would definitely have a “don’t knock it till you try it” type of attitude because these two words usually aren’t put together…“vegetable” and “lasagna.” Yes, Amy’s Entrees makes a low sodium vegetable lasagna not only better for your heart but tastier than you would think.

If you want to go more Americano instead, you can opt for Luvo’s turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes OR their chicken in BBQ sauce. Want some more patriotism? How about a Bubba Burger angus beef patty thrown on the grill? A good addition to that may be Alexia’s sweet potato fries.

If you want more low sodium frozen food options this list is for you!

Refrigerated Whole Grain Breaded Chicken Breast Strips (Purdue)

Refrigerated Breaded Spicy Popcorn Chicken Bites (Purdue)

Lemon Butter Grilled Salmon (Gortons)

Turkey Burgers (Applegate Naturals)

Chicken Patties (Applegate Naturals)

Vegetarian

Mac & Cheese (Amy’s Entrees)

Chimichurri Quinoa Bowl (Kashi)

Black Bean Mango Bowl (Kashi)

Brown Rice Vegetable Bowl (Amy’s Entrees)

Initially, you may have turned your nose up to frozen meals or foods but I’m hoping that today you learned about some “not so bad” for you alternatives. Maybe your “appropriate ceremony” for Frozen Food Day is throwing some pizza in the oven, a quinoa bowl in the microwave, a burger on the grill or simply indulging in some ice cream…either way, I’m sure Mr. Reagan would approve.

If you are looking for more ways to make mealtime easier and reach your nutrition goals, please call (301) 474-2499 to make an appointment today!